Firm returns 14 rubbish-filled containers to contries of origin
CHUNGYUEN Plastic Manufacture Co Ltd has returned 14 containers of plastic waste found at the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port last month to their countries of origin. It a lso paid a one billion riel ($250,000) fine, t he General Department of Customs and Excise said on Friday.
The company had, as of Saturday, paid the more than one billion riel fine into the national budget for illegally importing the waste, as well as docking and shipping fees.
It transported the 14 containers on Tuesday, the General Department of Customs and Excise added.
The company, owned by Cambodian businessman Suon Lok, has requested that the return of the remaining containers be delayed until October.
“Bad weather has caused a back log at Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, so Chung y uen Plastic Manufacture has requested t hat t he deadline for returning the remaining 69 containers to t heir countries of origin be put back to October 25,” the General Department of Customs and Excise said.
The government late last month gave the firm the Saturday deadline to return the 83 rubbish-filled containers to the US and Canada.
The plastic waste, weighing 1,562 tonnes, was i l lega l ly imported into Cambodia on 27 separate occasions from September last year to Januar y t his year.
Seventy
containers, weighing 1,322 tonnes, were imported from the US, while the remaining 13, weighing 270 tonnes, came from Canada. The containers went through ports in Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam before arriving in Cambodia.
Ministr y of Environment spokesman Neth Pheaktra told The Post t hat t he government had, on Saturday, issued a three-point plan for the company to fol low.
“If Chung y uen Plastic Manufacture fails to comply wit h it, t he General Department of Customs and Excise will ta ke lega l action, ” Pheaktra said on Sunday.
He declined to say whether t he 14 containers had been returned to the US or Canada, referring questions to t he General Department of Customs and Excise.
Neither Kun Nhem, t he directorgenera l of the General Department of Customs and Excise, nor Jenn Gearey, the communications manager at Env ironment and Climate Change Canada, could be reached for comment on Sunday.
When contacted, US embassy spokesperson Emily Zeeberg said the mission had no comment on the matter.
Eighty-three containers at Sihanoukville Autonomous Port were broken open by joint authorities on July 16 and found to be filled with almost 1,600 tonnes of plastic waste.